June 4th – prisoners – Zhao Ziyang (趙紫陽)
Beijing pressures Zhao’s family to accept arrangement for Zhao’s funeral
中国政府向赵紫阳亲属施压，要求接受官方条件
Radio Free Asia, January 25, 2005
It is reported that Beijing has put substantial pressures on the Zhao family in acceptin the conditions and arrangement for Zhao’s funeral, although the Zhao family remains disapprove official commentary on Zhao’s contribution to China.
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/xinwen/2005/01/25/zhaoziyang/
Related news:
Beijing tightens control over mourning activities
北京加緊控制悼念趙紫陽活動
BBCChinese.com, January 25, 2004
http://news.bbc.co.uk/chinese/trad/hi/newsid_4200000/newsid_4205700/4205773.stm
News
Corruption
China monitors officials' kin to curb corruption
Xinhuanet.com, January 26, 2005
Communist Party’s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection vows at a recent party meeting in keep running the initiatives that checking possible corruption of government officials and SOE senior management’s kin for curbing corruption.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-01/26/content_250925
7.htm
Death Penalty
China Spares the Life of Tibetan Monk
AP, 26 January 2005
A Chinese court on Wednesday spared the life of a Tibetan monk, Tenzin Deleg Rinpoche, 54, convicted in a series of fatal bombings, commuting his death sentence to life in prison. He was convicted in December 2002 and given a death sentence with a two-year reprieve, which expired Wednesday.
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=516&u=/ap/20050126/ap_on_re_as/china_tibetan_monk&printer=1
Environment
Hazardous trade is still thriving
SCMP, January 26, 2005
Environmentalists warn that the continue increase of waste trade in China has worsened environmental and health problems.
http://china.scmp.com/chimain/ZZZ93WCHJ3E.html
Gender Issues - Abuse
DNA testing in China: eroding wedlock?
Xinhua News Agency, 26 January 2005
In the world of DNA testing, a casual remark about "a handsome child of a homely father" may come as a bad omen in a happy marriage. Noticeable differences between children and their parents, particularly their fathers, sometimes cause suspicion that can escalate into arguments, violence or divorce.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-01/18/content_2475408.htm
Government – governance and accountability
Tightened legislature supervision shapes transparent govt
Xinhuanet.com, January 26, 2005
The government is set to strengthen NPC supervision over provincial government budget to increase accountability and transparency of provincial government.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-01/26/content_250932
7.htm
June 4th – EU arms ban
Beijing Presses Europe to Lift Arms Ban
AP via YahooNews.com, January 26, 2005
Beijing stresses again the arms embargo a “political discrimination” to China, putting pressures on EU to lift its 15-year-old arms band in the midst of US strong opposition.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=516&ncid=7
31&e=10&u=/ap/20050125/ap_on_re_as/china_arms_embargo
Keep the arms embargo against China
The Independent, 26 January 2005
Tony Blair’s claims to a moral arms policy are being drowned out by sad, cynical laughter. Whatever happened to the Labour government’s lofty words on arms policy? Tony Blair declared unequivocally a few years ago: "We don’t sell arms that could be used in human rights abuses.”
http://www.independent.co.uk/
June 4th
China's students changed by Tiananmen
BBC News, 26 January 2005
"Give me democracy or give me death!" read a banner waved by the students who occupied Tiananmen Square, China's political heart, 15 years ago.
Now the campuses are calm and some are empty - their students gone home for Chinese New Year holidays, conveniently out of the way when one of the heroes of the pro-democracy movement, Zhao Ziyang, died in a Beijing hospital on Monday.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4191129.stm
Law – legal profession
Zhuhai abandons life-time employment of judges to encourage competition and efficiency
率先在全国打破法官终身制 珠海法官要竞争上岗
People’s Daily, January 26, 2005
Zhuhai Intermediate People’s Court is set to open over half of judge position for competition to strive for better quality and efficiency of judges, indicating the abandon of life-time employment of judges for the first time in China.
http://legal.people.com.cn/GB/42735/3144248.html
Law- reform
Fifty electronic games banned in China
Xinhua, 26 January 2005
China has banned 50 illegal electronic games in a recent government probe into the electronic publication and software market as part of the effort to protect intellectual property rights and create a good environment for Chinese youth.
http://search.xinhuanet.com/search/xhse.jsp
Migrants - law
Migrants' Rights: Opening Up the System; Fearing unrest among the work force, Beijing is moving to loosen some of the most despise...
Newsweek International, 31 January 2005
Thanks to economic reforms that began in Zhao Ziyang's time, an estimated 140 million rural-born migrants now live and work in Chinese cities, lending energy and cheap labor to China's economic boom. But their right to live in the city is still bedeviled by the rigid Maoist-era registration, or hukou, system that categorizes them as rural residents.
http://www.newsweek.com/
Political Dissidents - detention cases
Tibetan monk 'broken' by China
BBC, 26 January 2005
A Tibetan monk imprisoned by China for nearly three years can no longer walk or speak clearly, according to US-based Human Rights Watch. Tashi Phuntsog, who was released earlier this month, worked with a prominent lama, Tenzin Deleg Rinpoche, whom China has branded a "terrorist".
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4207989.stm
Politics – political reform
Slow, cautious approach to political reform favoured
SCMP, January 26, 2005
A political expert that the leadership would tend to take a gradual and cautious approach to reforming China’s political system, rather than making a drastic change in the governing system.
http://china.scmp.com/chitoday/ZZZOIMAHJ3E.html
Population – one-child policy
Legislators and experts suggest amending Criminal Law to redress illegal sex identification
人大代表、法学家建议改刑法打击非法性别鉴定
People’s Daily, January 26, 2005
In a meeting, NPC representatives and law experts show their support in outlawing illegal sex identification to redress growing sex ratio imbalances in China.
http://legal.people.com.cn/GB/42731/3145029.html
Public health
More disabled kids after compulsory pre-marital check-up cancelled
强制婚检取消 广东缺陷儿激增
BeijingNews.com, January 26, 2005
Guangdong health officials propose free pre-marital check-up to reduce the birth rate of disabled kids. This is a response to the rising number of disabled kids at birth after compulsory pre-martial check-up was abandoned in the province.
http://www.thebeijingnews.com/news/2005-1-26/20051261480
7.html
Hong Kong – politics
HK free but not so fair, poll finds
SCMP, January 26, 2005
A study conducted by the University of Hong Kong revealed that Hong Kong people seem content about overall enjoyment of freedom, public order, honesty and judicial impartially since the handover, but are unhappy about the growing "unfairness" in the society.
http://hongkong.scmp.com/hknews/ZZZ0Y39HJ3E.html
Tibet
Tibetans forced to back Beijing’s choice of new Panchen (班禪), report says
据报中国要藏民支持北京挑选班禅
Voice of America, January 25, 2005
Chinese officials demands Tibetan officials to follow Beijing’s policy in choosing Tibetan’s next Panchen lama.
http://www1.voanews.com/Chinese/article.cfm?ObjectID=44048
DA1-2C5B-4D77-886FEE74D15DCCF2
North Korea
China demands Beijing Japanese school handover 8 North Koreans
中国要求北京日本学校交出8名朝鲜人
Radio Free Asia, January 25, 2005
Beijing has officially demanded the Beijing Japanese school, where 8 North Koreans takes refuge for seeking asylum from the Japanese government on Monday, to handover the intruders.
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/xinwen/2005/01/25/chaoxian/